Create your own sculptural wire bonsai tree in this engaging, hands-on workshop. Using a bundle of wire, participants will shape and form one of four styles: natural, weeping willow, windswept, or forest!

Choose your preferred finish and granite base, and leave with a completed piece ready to display. This process-focused workshop is approachable for all experience levels and offers a rewarding introduction to form, movement, and design through wire.

All materials and equipment are included in the price!

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Embrace your creative side in this Watercolor Free Spirit Workshop, a fun, afternoon designed for every skill level—from those who have never touched a brush to experienced painters seeking a relaxing refresh—this course begins with an interactive demonstration of techniques. You’ll learn how the brush handles, how pigment reacts with water, and the joy of choosing your own color palette. By focusing on essentials rather than complex, time-consuming advanced methods like painting wet on wet, or layering paint, you will enjoy immediate success and creative satisfaction.

Everyone will be able to create a finished project to take home that very day, choosing personalized note cards or a standalone painting. Using a seasonal themed subject or your own reference photo, you’ll dive straight into the painting process.

Beyond the brushwork, you’ll gain professional insight into the critical differences between student and professional-grade paints, papers, and brushes, as well as essential care tips. You’ll leave not only with a finished piece of art but also with the knowledge to continue painting note cards and more at home.

Click HERE for a materials list for this workshop!

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Rich Holck will oversee and guide you through the hands-on process of loading, firing, unloading, cleaning, and maintaining a wood kiln. Learn how to build the fire and operate the kiln at each stage, read the atmosphere of the kiln to time your stokes, and how to place wood across the width of the firebox to maintain even heat. Gain understanding of how kiln oxygen levels may fluctuate and ways of controlling oxygen levels by adjusting dampers and air openings. Consider factors like the quantity of wood per stoke, stoking frequency, and the size and type of wood to use. When introducing salt into the chamber, discuss its effects on the pottery, kiln, and kiln furniture. During unloading, observe the results of your collective efforts on the finished works, and how the process details come together to shape the end result. 12X24X30 inches per share

Bring a touch of handmade charm to your garden with a ceramic bird feeder crafted by you! In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will learn slab-building techniques to construct a functional and decorative feeder that birds will love.

You’ll roll and shape clay into a teardrop form, add texture using stamps or natural materials, and attach end caps and hanging holes to complete your design. Along the way, you’ll explore surface decoration and handbuilding basics while creating a piece that’s both artistic and useful.

All tools and materials are provided. Finished bird feeders will be fired and ready for pickup at a later date.

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support the mission of HYS.

If you are looking to learn or refresh basic skills in watercolors and gouache, this is the class for you! We will complete two cheat sheets to practice skills in each medium, and then learn how to use the materials to paint a glowing summer campfire scene.

Materials: Students should bring a basic set of watercolors (primary colors plus black, at least) and gouache. For economy, bring just watercolors plus a tube of white gouache. Note: bring gouache, not "acrylic gouache." Also please have a mixing palette, basic watercolor brushes, cold press watercolor paper, and any dry mixed media you'd like to use. Optional: a color wheel will be useful. My suggested supplies are listed here: Artist Resource List

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Two different days are available.

Jump into the Fun and Functional Ceramics class to discover basic ceramic techniques like pinch, slab, and coil pots. Add your personal touch to each piece with stamps, textures, and colored slips.  Enroll now and let the creative journey begin!

This class is held in a ADA accessable studio space

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Beginners will build a strong foundation in wheel throwing through hands-on practice and personalized instruction. Students will learn essential skills including clay preparation, centering, and shaping basic forms such as cylinders and bowls. As confidence grows, the class will explore trimming techniques, handle attachment, surface decoration, and glazing. The final weeks will focus on finishing work and preparing pieces for firing. This class is ideal for those new to the pottery wheel and looking to create functional, finished pieces in a supportive studio environment.

This class is held in a ADA accessable studio space

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Unlock the secrets of abstract and expressionistic painting with EO Omwake's tailored classes, designed to cater to each student's unique preferences. Dive into the essence of creativity, regardless of your painting experience, and learn foundational and advanced skills in the historic Chester Springs Fine Art Studio. Join a community of artists of all levels, working together to explore the nuts and bolts of painting, receiving personalized guidance from EO Omwake, and culminating in a valuable end-of-class critique. Elevate your artistry and enrich lives through your creations – take the plunge and enroll now to unleash your creative potential!

click HERE for a materials list for this course!

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!